Thanks to Progresso I have a new staple in my kitchen.  Progresso Panko Crispy Breadcrumbs.  Although I’d heard them mentioned a million times on the Food Network I had never actually used them.

Last week, thanks to Progresso and MyBlogSpark I received a package containing a box of Panko Breadcrumbs, 1 carton of Progresso low-sodium chicken broth, a measuring cup, slotted spoon, soup ladle and a sheet for baking.

I absolutely love to cook but I have to admit that I only have maybe 7 or 8 things that I can cook that are consistently good. I also love to watch the Food Network.  I’m always looking for new things to try, hints, tips.. anything to help me become a better cook.  Now that I have a child I figure I better learn how to cook properly before he’s old enough to invite friends over for dinner. I’ve always loved Progresso soups so I thought this would be a great chance for me to try something new.

It was only recently that I started cooking with broths.  I’ve pretty much incorporated them into all my big dishes, like meatballs, pot roast, etc. and I always choose the low sodium.  So I was very happy to see the reduced-sodium broth in my package.

Progresso 100% Natural Broth

Progresso broths are 100% natural and use high quality ingredients to achieve a great homemade taste. They are fat free, gluten free, contain no preservatives, no added MSG and no artificial flavors. Progresso broth is available in chicken and reduced sodium chicken and beef flavors. Progresso broths are the perfect thing to add to your leftovers to give them flavor along with moisture.

What Are Panko Breadcrumbs?

As I said earlier I had never used panko breadcrumbs or even seen them up close so I really had no idea what they were. I was surprised to learn that panko is made from bread without crusts. They are very white and the texture is coarse, yet light and crispy. Panko has traditionally been used in Japan or in fine dining restaurants and usually only found in specialty stores.  That is, up until now. Progresso’s panko is available in two flavors, plain and Italian. If you’ve never cooked with panko before, now is your chance because it’s never been easier thanks to Progresso.

Exciting Recipes and Cooking Tips Featuring Progresso Broth,  Panko Breadcrumbs And Celebrity Chef Michael Chiarello

In addition you can head on over to ProgressoFoods.com and ProgressoBroth.com where they have a lot of helpful cooking tips, videos, and exciting new recipes, all using Progresso panko bread crumbs and Progresso broth. They have even teamed up with celebrity chef Michael Chiarello who shares his expertise on casual weekend entertaining, preparing a holiday feast or inspiration for a weeknight meal. If they are still available you can also find coupons for both products on the site.

Trying Something New – The Review

After I opened my package the first thing I did was head to their site to see what looked good.  The first night I was feeling extremely adventurous and decided to make the Chicken Cacciatore Pronto along with my own home-made fettuccine alfredo, and broccoli on the side. As far as I was concerned it was delicious.  My husband isn’t too fond of eating anything but chicken breasts and he’s not a big mushroom fan so he wasn’t that impressed, although he appreciated the work I put into it.  Regardless of that it’s definitely something I plan on making for my son and I on the days he’s at work.  I even bought extra porcini mushrooms, which before I tried the recipe I had never ate before. They are delicious and about as expensive as regular mushrooms, which is great.

The next night I decided to make something I knew my husband would go for. My home-made macaroni and cheese, with Progresso panko breadcrumbs on the top.  It’s funny because I don’t like breadcrumbs on the top normally but since my husband does I decided to go for it. The panko were WAY better than normal breadcrumbs. Much crispier and they even looked better lol.  Along with this I made the Oven Fried Chicken Tenders with the recipe taken from the Progresso site.  I learned two things. My oven doesn’t heat to the proper temperature (because it took longer than it should have to brown the crumbs) and that Panko breadcrumbs are my new favorite. I couldn’t believe the texture. The crust was so crispy, even on the parts where it should have been soft. I was truly amazed.  The greatest thing of all was that these chicken tenders were baked and not fried. I can only image how delicious they would be fried but I’ll save that until after the diet or for a special occasion.

The third night I made my own recipe Swedish meatballs and because I was out of beef broth I used the rest of my Reduced Sodium Progresso Chicken Broth. I then replaced my regular fresh breadcrumbs with the panko breadcrumbs. By the time I was done you couldn’t even tell it was chicken broth I had used and it still gave them the same delicious flavor. The panko breadcrumbs worked perfectly and as a matter of fact were much easier to use.  I have to soak my breadcrumbs in milk and whenever I go to drain them I usually have a big mess. With the panko they still kept the same texture, only softened.  In the end my meatballs came out great and were easier to make!

Disclosure: I received these products from Progresso who provided me with the free product, information, and prize pack through MyBlogSpark. The opinion is all mine.

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Giveaway (Now Closed)

Would you like your own Progresso Prize Pack?  Progresso and MyBlogSpark have kindly offered to give 1 of my readers their very own, which consists of everything I received above. A sample of Progresso Panko, 1 carton of Progresso Broth, 1 measuring cup, 1 slotted spoon, 1 soup ladle, and 1 sheet pan for baking.

To enter:  Answer the required question.  If the required question is not answered then none of your entries will count.  After that you have several other ways of getting extra entries.  Make sure that for each one you do you leave a separate comment. Each comment counts as one entry. Please leave your correct email addy. If I have no way of contacting you, your entries will be deleted before I choose the winner.

Required

* What are your tips for using panko or broth? If you’ve never used panko, what would you like to try it on?

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1 Extra Entry –
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1 Extra Entry Per Day –
* Follow me on Twitter @detroitmommy and then Press the Green Retweet button at the top of this post. Leave me a comment with a link to your tweet.  You can come back each day and retweet for 1 extra entry per day. Just make sure to leave a comment each day you do it!

Good Luck!

Giveaway is open to residents of the US, 18 yrs of age or older. Any posts not including the requested information will be deleted. This giveaway ends: Sunday November 01, 2009 12am EST. Winner will be contacted and announced Monday November 02, 2009. In the event the winner does not respond to email within 3 days I will choose another random winner. I will be using random.org to do this.

And the lucky winner is…

#33 – Jennifer R.

Thank-you to everyone who entered and took the time to post valid cooking tips. That’s the kind of entries I love to see.  I’ll be using some of them as soon as I get the chance.

And remember, just because you didn’t win doesn’t mean you can’t try out the new panko breadcrumbs and broth. I encourage you to check them out.  You can find coupons for Progresso products right now at coupons.com